Wine Pairing for Romantic 3 Course Dinner

Salads are always a challenge regarding wine pairings given the defined “green tones” of the selected mixture of lettuce, frisée, spinach, endive or other chosen vegetables.  You also have to consider the style of dressing, which is the component of this dish that will determine the wine.  As per previous “Wine 101”, remember that acid in wine is Mother Nature’s gift to cuisine and is the “equalizer” when pairing food and wine.  For this dish, I am “back to bubbles” with the selection of a brut rosé sparkling wine (again, brut = not sweet).  Since 1864, Gratien & Meyer has been producing quality wines from the Loire Valley that represent excellent quality, taste, and value.  Produced in the same manner as Champagne, this wine is born from the use of Cabernet Franc that has a defined tart raspberry/cranberry/cherry fruit profile as well as a faint undertone of fresh herbs.  Fresh, “clean”, simple salad + dazzling bubbles = a perfect food and wine pairing.

Wine, Dine, and Design TV – Valentines Wine Pairings Explained

Designer’s Builder Pick of the Month

Jason Crabtree, Premier Partners 

Premier Partners is a homegrown Austin based company that has been built on a reputation of trust, quality, and unrivaled service. When Premier Partners builds a home, it’s not just a job; it’s personal.  It’s about listening and understanding, and then delivering the kind of unsurpassed quality and superb experience that every client deserves and should expect from their homebuilder.

At Premier Partners, we recognize teamwork is fundamental in our overall success.  Our staff is a team of experienced professionals that are supported by skilled construction labor and the finest architects and home designers.  In addition, we have assembled a support team that shares a devotion to excellence and love of generating complete satisfaction for clients, whether with a custom home or one of Premier Partner’s notable renovations.

Whether building a Custom Home or remodeling your existing home, it’s a detailed process with many decisions along the road to completion. Premier Partners works side by side with you every step of the way facilitating this process and making it fun and exciting. Our approach allows you to play an active role in the building process by providing you with a financial road map to guide you through all the phases of the design build process. We make sure that your individual tastes are realized in each phase, while we closely monitor your budgetary goals versus your actual costs. This powerful design and build process has set the standard for the industry and ensures the fulfillment of your dream home will not only be on time but will be on budget.

All of these factors play a role in our long-standing reputation for our impeccable results and our ability to create a diversity of styles in communities throughout the Austin area.

We pride ourselves not only on the homes we have built, but also on the long lasting relationships we have developed with each and every client.  Our mission is to create unique and innovative homes with passion and integrity; because what you require from a home isn’t just a list of features, it’s a reflection of your distinctly different lifestyle and desires.   

Twin Valley Residential Remodel

The Twin Valley remodel was a whole house remodel in which every room was updated in order to achieve a contemporary aesthetic and lifestyle with a home built in 1980.  The pre-existing 3000 square foot home greatly under-utilized superb hill country, lake, and golf course views from its hill top perch.  Highlighting the views, updating the style, increasing the utility of the given space, opening the floor plan up to create larger spaces, and adding capability to use the home as a “model” home were all goals of the owner.

Before:

After:

Master Bedroom Magic

When working with my clients to create a beautiful master bedroom retreat, I recommend starting with quality bedding.  This is a great way to establish a color scheme and design direction.  If drapery will be a part of the design plan, then I highly recommend biting the bullet and going with a higher quality bedding.  The higher quality offers a longer life that will hold up to the quality and coordination of the drapery.  Drapery is an investment that you will not be changing out for 15 or 20 years.

Many times, I hear from people that they don’t want to invest in good bedding because they like to change it out more often.  Having a “summer” and “winter” look is a great idea and keeping this in mind when planning the drapery is smart.  Other than that, a well designed space should be for the long haul.  A well designed room is going to take into consideration other elements such as art, accessories, rugs and lighting.  Changing all of this out often will get more expensive than merely designing the room to be amazing the first time.  I find the main reason people want to change things out more often is due to the fact they are never that happy with the room to begin with.  They keep tweaking things to try to get to that place of satisfaction that feels right.  A well designed space will feel terrific and will keep you happy for years to come. 

Here are a few suggestions I have for a great master bedroom suite:

1. The master bedroom and bathroom should be considered one space.  They need to work well together with a cohesive look.
2. Blackout drapery is an amazing investment for a master bedroom.  If you have trouble sleeping or if you like to sleep-in  or nap on the weekends, consider investing in blackout drapery.  It is more expensive than something that is just decorative on the windows, but the sleep benefits are amazing!
3. Add a sitting area to your master bedroom.  Most of the master bedrooms are designed now with plenty of space to add a nice sitting area for reading and relaxing.  Adding this area to your master suite will give you a comforting place to retreat from your children or other activities going on in the rest of the house.
4. Plan the lighting for how the room is going to be used.  A well designed room should have five to seven light sources.  This is especially important in a master bedroom.  I love to read before retiring at night and having a good three-way reading lamp was an important part of my master bedroom design plan. 
5. Instead of art, consider adding dramatic wallpaper, a fabric treatment, or have a decorative mural painted on your bed focal wall.
6. Adding fabric panels to a four-poster bed will make you feel like a king or queen.  
7. Invest in a good quality mattress – it will make all the difference in how you feel. 
8. Interior Designers sell high quality sheets and other linens that are not readily available on the retail market.  Great linens will feel better the more they are washed and used. 

Investing in a beautiful  master suite is a great way to reward yourself and will be life giving in more ways than you can imagine!  

Wine Pairing for Smoked Chicken Wings

Not all wines produced in California are from Napa and Sonoma.  Mendocino, Lake, and Amador Counties all produce excellent wines of varietal character and great price points.  The first Lake County vines were planted in the 1870’s and the largest lake in California, Clear Lake, is also located in this area.  Stephen Vincent wines represent quality, fine craftsmanship, and excellent value.  This Sauvignon Blanc is “textbook”.  Hints of “fresh laundry hanging on the clothes line” with defined acid, plus crisp flavors of lime/green melon/breakfast grapefruit/pineapple plus the absence of any wood.  This is a great example of how a high acid white can compliment spice and “heat” in a dish.

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles … oh how I love thee!  Far too often, bubbles are incorrectly thought off as only for celebrations, when in fact, are truly one of the greatest of all pairing wines.  The texture of bubbles helps cleanse the palate as well as moderates heat, sweat, and richness in cuisine.  For the above, Solletico is Italian for “to tickle” and is a great reference to the small, prickly bubble profile.  As a plus, this wine is vintage dated (rare for Prosecco!) and is Brut regarding style (remember, Brut simply means not sweet!).  With crisp acid, refreshing bubbles, and tasty “crunchy” fruits of green apple, melon, and white peach, Solletico is a great accompaniment to the spice and smoke flavors of the wings

Each of the above wines is available at GOOD2GO for purchase.  As well, allow me to be your “Everyday Sommelier” and always, good wine tastes good, but good food paired with good wine tastes great!

Designer’s Realtor Pick of the Month   

After a rewarding twenty-five year career with Eanes ISD, Dianne decided to turn her real estate investment hobby into a professional career. With both her father and her husband involved in real estate, Dianne’s knowledge of the profession extends from early childhood to her hands-on experience gained in the field. Energized by the amazing investment opportunities in the Spicewood/Lake Travis area for the past 5 years, she is now expanding her focus to include the Central Austin and surrounding areas. Dianne is always dedicated to working closely with her clients and many times forming personal relationships which usually result in a very impressive collaboration of efforts, always keeping her clients informed of the progress of their sale on an almost daily basis. She is committed to always exceeding expectations and brings unparalleled integrity, diligence and genuine concern for her clients to every opportunity.

Real Estate Affiliations:

• Austin Board of REALTORS®, member
• Texas Association of REALTORS®, member
• National Association of REALTORS®, member
• Austin Multiple Listings Service, member

Do you want to Tango?

The bold Pantone color Tangerine Tango #17-1463 can be used in just about any style of decor.  This orange hue adds “pop” and excitement.  Pair it with a rich dark chocolate and cream for an energizing room. Other colors that will be popular in 2012 are jewel tones of Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire.  Coral and Amethyst as well as other shades of purple are great for more peaceful schemes.  

Glidden Professional’s color of the year is a blushing, lively, juicy red #B8.38.44.  Like Pantone’s orange hue, Glidden’s red is bold.  Red is a powerful mood modifier.  In China, it is associated with good fortune.  Children prefer it to other colors.  Grown-ups feel attracted to those in red.   

Whether you like it or not, trends impact design.  I know we all fear that the next design trend will haunt us like that avocado green refrigerator or busy floral wallpaper.  Speaking of wallpaper, I am so thrilled that it is back!  The new look of wallpaper is textural and graphic.  Used as an accent with complimentary paint colors, wallpaper adds more interest and is similar in cost to decorative painting.  A lot of the faux painting techniques that have been popular so long are trending out. 

We are all still keenly aware of our environment and repurposing.  This coincides with color schemes of earth and sky with soft blues, greens and rich earth tones like chocolate.  Benjamin Moore’s color of the year is Wythe Blue, #HC143.  By the way, this color pairs well with Tangerine Tango. 

Other things to be on the lookout for in 2012 are native prints and geometrics, crewel or embroidery design fabrics, and damask. 

Believe it or not, gold is also making a comeback.  This time it has more of a satin or toned down type of finish.  All metallics are hot.  I love to add some bling to room designs for a touch of glamour.

Monochromatic blends of grays and purple tones will work well for a more sophisticated and understated look.  If you are a cool color scheme person, the beautiful gray palettes are amazing!